The Birthday Boy
by Sheller2
Summary: Someone is having a birthday ! I've had several stories kicking around and really wanted to get them finished and posted for you all. This is a simple one-shot. (As for me personally - am getting excited about going to Longmire Days - it will take me 4 days to drive there can't wait to get my Longmire coffee table book - will be so awesome to get it autographed).


It had been a long dreary winter, and a late transition to spring. Although the date on the calendar indicated that it was late May, the weather seemed fixated on staying somewhere in March. A series of late snowfalls and an ever present cold wind seemed to put people on edge as they waited for the weather to change. Optimism was a healthy attitude, but it required hard work and warmer weather.

Ferg was feeling rather upbeat about successfully passing an incremental upward step in his Deputy Sheriff's position. Walt had taken him out for dinner one night, making a special effort to show his pleasure and gratitude. Walt had even made a point of apologizing to Ferg for being slow to give recognition and for having lost his temper a bit through the long winter. For some reason, Walt was unwilling (or unable) to really lose his temper any more in the presence of his two ASD ladies, Ruby and Vic. Maybe it was his upbringing – his mother's voice from the past reminding him to be a gentleman in the presence of a lady? Still though, no excuse, he thought, for dumping on Ferg like that. He made a note to rein in that side of himself a little more.

With his small promotion, in one more year Ferg would be at the same pay grade step as Vic, although she herself seemed destined to advance to the position of Under Sheriff. That would be a nice improvement to her pay cheque and self-esteem. She was quietly pleased when Walt offered her the chance to make an upward move. She had already been handling things in his absence and now he felt he should do his best to make the recognition official.

After the loss of Branch, the remaining four ASD personnel all seemed to realize that they had a special obligation (and opportunity) to support and care for each other.

Unfortunately there was nothing Walt could do with Ruby's job classification. But in his own way he tried to show thanks for all that Ruby had done over the years. Cady had been prompting her dad to remember to mark significant occasions. So Walt brought in a small cake for Ruby on her 30th anniversary with the Sheriff's Department. He had also made sure to give her the afternoon off for her wedding anniversary (#45) so she and Bill could start their weekend getaway early.

One morning Vic came into Walt's office and asked for a moment of his time. She had a curious look on her face. A bit like the cat who swallowed the canary.

"Walt, Henry told me the other night that Mathias' 50th birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I think it would be really nice if we put a little thing together for him."

Walt was taken aback by Vic's suggestion. He was barely able to remember Henry or Cady's birthday let alone anyone else's.

"Vic…um…you've caught me off guard here. I had no idea."

"Well, I didn't either, but the other night, Cady and I were having a drink at the Red Pony and we ran into Mathias. He joined us for a beer and then left. Afterwards, I guess Henry overheard us talking about how cute we thought Mathias was," Vic explained.

Walt felt a little embarrassed by this. He had a hard time dealing with his daughter's love life. He also really didn't want to hear Vic talking about ogling other guys. Vic and Walt had been quietly dating for a few months. They had admitted their mutual attraction for each other and agreed to give dating a try. It had been working out really well for them both.

Vic was intensely staring at Walt for a reaction. She could see the wheels turning in his head about all this. "Relax, Walt," she said. "We were just lookin'. Mathias REALLY is a cute guy. But he's taken. He's got a girlfriend. Besides, maybe I'm taken?"

Vic, always keen to tease Walt, continued. "We were debating the merits of long versus short hair, and Levis versus Wrangler jeans."

"Vic…um…" sputtered Walt, now looking out the window, hoping for a distraction to come his way.

Vic continued. "We decided that Wranglers are very cleverly made to enhance the curves and bulges of the male body. And long hair won out too," she said with a sputter of laughter as a Levi-clad Walt stood there, running a nervous hand through his somewhat short hair, thinking he was "oh for two" score wise.

"And Cady and I concluded that we've all been benefitting from a mellower Mathias. Cady has really seen it in her interactions with people on the Rez…people experiencing legal problems, referred to her by Mathias. He seems to be so much more relaxed these days. I guess with Malachi out of the picture, he feels more comfortable and in control."

"And even you acknowledged how smoothly things have gone lately with official interactions with the Rez, Walt," Vic said, thinking of recent cases that spanned the political or legal divide between the county and the Rez.

"Henry rolled his eyes while we talked about how cute Mathias' ass was, and then he got us to guess his age. That's when it came out that he was turnin' 50. So I think it would be pretty cool to have a little surprise party for him," explained Vic.

"We thought we could just get a little cake and a few small gifts and surprise him with it all THE DAY BEFORE his birthday. Henry figured that all those ladies at his own office would be sure to do something for Mathias on the big day itself. But if we could somehow get him to drop by here the day before, we could really surprise him."

"Vic…" Walt replied, organizing his thoughts. "That's a really nice idea. I've had several really good interactions with him lately and I've concluded that he really is a nice guy. We seem to have been able to bury the hatchet."

"Okay, then? Can I organize this? It would be for the 23rd," Vic said.

"Sure thing. Maybe you could work with Ruby on this, since the menfolk don't really know how to do these things," Walt asked hopefully. Vic smiled to herself, poking a hole in Walt's theory - Henry and Ferg had been really good in the past, helping organize potlucks. "Could we invite Cady and Henry too?" Walt asked.

"Sounds good to me, Walt. We have about 2 weeks to get this set up. We can talk later about how we can coerce Mathias to come over here. I suppose too, it will cost a few bucks for the cake and supplies," Vic explained.

"What about gifts?" Walt asked.

"Let's keep it simple then. If they want, people could bring a small gift. Mathias won't want a fuss, but it would be nice for a special milestone like this one and to show that we care…a few little gifts would be nice," said Vic.

They left things to settle for a few days. Vic set the date and time, mid-morning on the 23rd. Then she started organizing the cake, coffee and supplies with Ruby, determining that the festivities would cost about $8 apiece for the ASD staff. They would not ask Henry or Cady to contribute to the cost sharing. Vic invited them both, and then sat down with Ferg.

"Hey Ferg, what do you think might be a nice little gift for Mathias? I don't know him really well, I mean, I don't really know much about his background or hobbies," Vic said.

Ferg mentioned that he didn't really know Mathias that well, but that he recalled he liked cars and horses, although he seemed to have little time or money for either. He said he didn't think he had travelled much, and knew that he liked to read but didn't know what kind of books. "Not sure this is really helpful to you, Vic," said Ferg.

"That's ok, Ferg. Thanks. I was going to pick Henry's brains as well," said Vic.

The ruse was set. Ruby would call Mathias' office in the afternoon on the day before.

She had a brief chat with Jenny, the receptionist, about the appointment. Ruby gave limited options for times, citing that Walt would be going to court to testify and had requested a brief meeting in the morning. The appointment was set. "Thanks sweetie. How's your mom doing?" asked Ruby. Jenny's mom had been in a car accident a few weeks before and had suffered a broken leg. Walt and Ferg had been first on scene to the accident, which occurred right on the county side of the Rez. Ferg performed some very helpful first aid while they waited for the ambulance and Walt did his best to keep Jenny's mom calm.

"She's doing well, thanks Ruby," replied Jenny. "Say hi to Walt and Ferg for us."

Barring a vehicle accident or a house fire, all of the ASD folks would be able to be present at the party. Henry had asked Vic if it would be a 'continual soiree' or a brief one.

The next day Mathias received the missive from Jenny, and at a little after 10 am, he made his way to Durant. He trudged up the back stairs to Walt's office, feeling a little tired. He had been up quite late the night before, doing some tile work on his bathroom.

He entered the reception area, giving a friendly nod to Ruby. "Just a sec, Mathias. Walt is on the phone. Let's give him a minute," Ruby said. "Oh Mathias, can I get your help with this map. There is an address that I'm not sure of." She gestured to a Rez map that was spread out on her desk. This manufactured two-minute delay gave Ferg and Vic a chance to scoot into Walt's office. She then called Walt to convey that Mathias had arrived for their meeting.

Ruby walked Mathias into Walt's office, where everyone had gathered. "Surprise," called out Cady. "Happy Birthday," said Vic.

Mathias was completely surprised. He saw a cake on Walt's desk with a colourful police car design applied with icing. A small pile of wrapped gifts were at one end of the big desk. Paper plates, cutlery and coffee mugs were clustered at the other end.

"Did we surprise you?" Walt asked, knowing full well the deer-in-the-headlights look on Mathias' face. The two men shook hands while the others gathered around.

The men all shook hands, with the women opting for hugs. Mathias looked pleased but slightly stunned at all the fuss.

At one point, Vic thought she saw Walt giving Mathias the once-over. He seemed to be studying Mathias' jeans.

The usual slightly off-key version of Happy Birthday was sung, followed by coffee and cake distributed for everyone. After a few minutes of small talk, Walt was asked to give a speech.

"Um…we've gathered here today…to mark a significant milestone in life…a half century….there, that's my speech," said Walt, receiving laughter in reply. "No, actually. I have something to add. Mathias, many happy returns to you. We wanted to let you know how much we enjoy working with you, and wanted to wish you all the best for tomorrow," Walt added with a flourish.

"Gee, thanks Walt," Mathias said. "Um…I'm really surprised by all this. It's very nice of you all. I'm not very good at speeches, but I will say, that I'm touched by this, your kindness. And I enjoy working with you all as well," he added.

One by one, the gifts were handed to Mathias.

From Cady he received a beautifully wrapped sage bundle (which Henry helped to obtain).

From Vic he received a pair of simply decorated leather hair braid wraps. Mathias could wear a single one for a pony tail or could wear both for braids.

From Ferg he received a small pocket knife; the metal had been forged by Ferg's dad, and Ferg had crafted a lovely bone handle.

From Walt he received a wooden desk organizer, with compartments for pens, business cards, etc. Walt had made the organizer by hand and had etched a beautiful horse on the front of it.

From Ruby he received a new bandanna and a jar of homemade raspberry jam.

From Henry he received an invitation to watch an upcoming MMA fight on Henry's office large screen TV (knowing that Mathias' TV was on the fritz) and a coupon for a free dinner at the Red Pony.

After the brief party concluded, Vic walked Mathias down the stairs to his vehicle, helping to carry some of the gifts and a small piece of leftover cake. At his car, Mathias turned to pull Vic into a quick embrace saying quietly into her shoulder "This must have been your doing, Philly."

"Dunno, Matty," Vic replied, giving his shoulder a squeeze. She gave him a kiss on his neck and said to him in a sultry voice, "Even at 50, you're still a sexy dude."

Mathias replied "you too, Philly."

He winked at Vic as he drove off, headed back to his office to see if any other parties were being plotted. With a small smile on his face, he left the outskirts of Durant, bound for the Rez, with his non-regulation FM radio playing a Maroon 5 song…Sugar….he sang along…I need a little love…some sympathy…I need a little sweetness in my life…


End file.
